Dilemmas
by Felnezia Lloyd
Summary: [WIP] [LuciusFleur] [PreHBP] Why will Fleur do anything to get the Book Of Seven Ages? To what lengths will Lucius go to escape Azkaban? Will their old relations be revived?
1. Chapter 1

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

_**DILEMMAS**_

**: Felnezia Elaine Lloyd**

**-o-o-o-o-o-**

Fleur panted heavily as she sat back against the tall oak. She could see the British Aurors taking prisoner the Death-Eaters who were still alive and putting in magical confinements those who were dead. Her eyes travelled over the many bodies lying mostly lifeless on the ground.

Her eyes stopped as she saw the figure of someone with long platinum-blonde hair moving. Lucius Malfoy.

Glancing around quickly, she noticed that the Ministry officials had as yet, not noticed that Death-Eater.

Turning a blind eye to her exhaustion, she dragged herself to Lucius and grasping his hand, disapparated.

Half-closed grey eyes opened wide as they witnessed the scene.

o-o-o-o-o-

o-o-o-o-o-

"Fleur! Oh, Merlin! Fleur!"

"Gabrielle…" she managed to gasp out before fainting.

Gabrielle was scared out of her wits. She had seen that man before and she knew that he wasn't a good man. He was on the enemy's side. What was he doing here, then? It clearly seemed that Fleur had brought him with her, but why?

However, she swallowed her queries as she looked at the prostrate form of her dear sister. She called the house-elves and set about tending to the wounds on her sister's body. _Oh_ _Merlin_! _Let_ _nothing_ _happen_ _to_ _Fleur_!

o-o-o-o-o-

o-o-o-o-o-

When she woke up again, Fleur found herself on familiar grounds. She was lying in her own bed in her cottage. There was a smell of roses in the air… yes, she was definitely home.

Something stirred in her memory and she sat up with a start.

Her body protested the sudden movement but she ignored the pain. Slipping on her dressing-gown, she went towards the room across hers.

Lucius Malfoy was indeed in the spare bedroom. However, he was so still that it seemed that he was barely alive.

Her heart almost stopped beating.

She put her fingers on his wrist and lay her head on his chest.

_Thank_ _Merlin_, _he_ _was_ _alive_!

She was glad that Gabrielle had seen to it that he received medical attention, too. She didn't know what she would have done if Lucius had died despite her effort to save him. Oh, how she loved Gabrielle!

"Fleur?"

"Gabrielle! I am so happy to see you!"

She held out her arms for her sister. Gabrielle ran up to her and hugged her. Tears welled up in her eyes as she said, "I missed you. I am glad you made it back alive."

"Me, too," answered Fleur, grinning.

The sisters laughed as they held each other.

Then Gabrielle's eyes fell on Lucius.

"Why did you bring _him_ home? I think Bill said that he was one of You-Know-Who's followers."

Fleur stiffened slightly. "I needed to," she said softly, "for the Order."

"Oh." Gabrielle sounded relieved.

"What?"

"I… well, I thought that you… I am sorry, but you know… you glanced so desperately at him before you fainted…"

"You thought I… loved him or something?" asked Fleur incredulously.

"Sorry."

"Never mind, I dare say it would have seemed something like it," said Fleur laughingly. She knew that her sister had a most wildly romantic imagination.

"I am going back to Germany tomorrow, if it's all right with you."

"Yes, I think I am well enough to take care of myself and this business," (waving her hand towards Lucius), "I won't want you to miss your studies."

Gabrielle nodded and went out to finish her packing.

o-o-o-o-o-

"Business, Miss Delacour?"

Fleur started and turned around.

"Yes, business, Mr. Malfoy," she said coldly. "You are going to pay for what you have done."

"And what have I done?" he asked, trying to get up, but failing. He was still too weak.

"Don't play around with words," she snapped at him. "And if you have brains, you will not try to break free, either."

Lucius Malfoy's lips curled into an arrogant smile. "Fleur, Fleur, Fleur, surely you can give up your _charade_ now. I know you don't mean a word of it all."

Fleur glared at him. "I don't know what you mean, _Mr. Malfoy._"

"Surely, you haven't forgotten all of that summer you spent in _my_ Manor, Fleur? You were never so bad in memory. Or am I wrong?"

"You are nothing but a _deceiving_, _lying_ _cheat_, _Mr_. _Malfoy_," she said, angrily. "And I would be prepared for the most _horrible_ death if I were you."

"You brought me here, to your _home_, my dear, and you want me to believe that you will hand me over?"

"That," she said, pulling out her wand, "is because I wanted some questions answered."

"Are you going to hex the answers out of me?" he asked, eyeing her wand warily.

"No. You will keep quiet for now. I will get my answers when there are no eavesdroppers for miles around. _Morphemium!"_

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Just a start. Not very long. So, what do you think? Worth continuing? I don't know French or anything about its pronunciation. So Fleur will talk normal English. I am sorry if this is slightly AU in this respect. But I would rather have her good English than muddled up French-English**


	2. Chapter 2

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

**Chapter 2**

**Getting Some Answers**

**-o-o-o-o-o-o-**

"I know that you cannot keep your eyes off me, my dear," said Lucius, flicking the stray strands of platinum-blonde hair over his shoulder, "but it is rather disconcerting if you keep gazing at me like that – especially when I am eating my dinner. It makes me feel that I am going wrong somewhere."

"I am not staring at you!" said Fleur indignantly.

"I never said you were 'staring'."

_Alas! It would be illegal to kill this man right now._

"I had… heard that you were not a good Legilimens," she said bluntly.

Lucius raised an inquisitive brow – very elegantly. "Heard?"

"Heard," she repeated. "I suppose I was misinformed."

"Most certainly. The Dark Lord alone knew of my power. Everybody thought that I was by the Dark Lord's side because I had money, position and blood."

"They were wrong?"

"I am a Malfoy. They forgot that."

His tone was proud and cold.

"Hmmm… sneaky bastards they are, aren't they? Maybe everybody was right at least in that respect."

It was so difficult for him to control himself at that. She could see it. She liked it how he had to control himself. Malfoy didn't want to die – or meet a worse fate at the hands of his English enemies or French or German or any other for that matter.

"If you are done insulting…"

"I wasn't insulting," she persisted tormenting him, "I was merely stating the truth."

"Truth, which you believe without verification."

"I don't see why you are all offended, Mr. Malfoy. Even though you pretend that you are all high and mighty, I am sure you must have some inkling of what they say about you behind your back."

He put down his fork and looked sharply at her. "How would you know? You are but a naïve Frenchwoman. Didn't even know that I was married, did you?"

Colour rose up her cheeks, making her look even prettier, he thought. Maybe he should anger her often. He quite liked the brightness in her blue-grey eyes. Reminded him of the nights that he had spent with her…

"Where is the _'Book of Seven Ages'_?"

It was Lucius who was looking startled now. She felt somewhat back in control after her temporary set-back at his innuendo.

He narrowed his eyes. His lips were set in a thin line. He sat straight up in his chair.

He was damned serious now, she thought. Though their intimate relations had not lasted long, she had learnt to know him better than even Narcissa Malfoy.

"Pardon me?"

"_The Book of Seven Ages."_

"How do you know about it?" he asked, his eyes livid.

"I have my… ways…," she smirked at him. She loved having the upper-hand here.

"I shall not repeat. How do you know about it?"

"Let's say a young bird from your nest would do anything for me. Even spy on _you_."

"Draco! Impossible!"

His eyes were blazing. She wondered what he would do if she aggravated him further. Wondered, but wasn't scared in the least. She hadn't been scared of him for quite some time now.

"Where is it, Mr. Malfoy?"

He was very angry with her and she knew it. But he was powerless against her and _he_ knew it.

So he adopted the easiest strategy. He turned away from her and ignored her. She knew that even Cruciatus won't open his mouth now. She didn't want to try it. The Ministry here was far stricter than anywhere else in the world.

"Mr. Malfoy, I am giving you one day to think over what you want to do."

He looked contemptuously at her.

"And then, I will be forced to hand you over to the English Ministry. Good-night."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

She wasn't sure he was going to tell her. He was very unpredictable.

She was staring at her reflection as she combed her long, thick golden hair. It fell far below her waist, reaching the top of her thighs. Sometimes, it was annoying, especially when she wanted to soak peacefully in a bath. But most of the time she liked them. They added a lot to her beauty. And in her beauty was her confidence. She couldn't imagine being ugly. For example that brown-haired girl which Krum had fallen for… Her brow clouded as she thought of Krum. That girl was intelligent, but what was intelligence in front of looks. She was yet to meet a man who loved women solely for their intelligence.

She slipped off her dressing-gown and got into the bed.

But sleep wasn't to come to her tonight.

Not when she was alone in the house with Lucius Malfoy… Not when they were separated by just a wall.

Not that she would ever mention it, but he still unsettled her.

She remembered the time she had gone to England for the second time – as a personal assistant to the ambassador from France.

She had seen him when he had met her boss, André Mazarin. His eyes had lingered on her for moments longer and she had seen his appreciation for her in them. She had fallen for him when he had secretly asked her out to dinner on the second day of their stay.

All she remembered of that dinner was that she had spent it imagining things that she would like to be doing with him after it. She was sure that they would spend the night together. When a man looked at her like _that_, she knew. It wasn't awe; it was lust – raw, unconcealed lust. But she wasn't disgusted with him for it. Merlin knew that he was a god himself. And that he desired her was just as thrilling for her as her easy acceptance was for him.

It was the wildest night of her life. He had done things to her body that she hadn't even thought of before. He had made her scream with pleasure as if there was no tomorrow. He had been rough and yet so gentle. He had made her forget everything but their bodies. It was pure desire and sex. It was when she truly became a woman – or so she felt.

The next four nights had been spent with him. She craved him. Her body ached for him. She couldn't bear to be in the same room as he was and not touch him, not have his skin on hers. It was sheer pleasure and madness.

She had even believed at one point that she might fall in love with him. He was all that she could want in a man.

And then…

The last day.

The day when her dreams and desires had been rudely crushed.

His wife, Narcissa Malfoy, had decided to pay a visit.

She had not returned to him that night, even though he had specially sent a message to her. She had burnt the message and exchanged rooms with Loulette Foussard for the night and next day, had skilfully avoided him until they were to return to France.

She didn't know why his being married had bothered her so much. She wasn't exactly discreet in such matters. She had twice had relationships with men who were married without any 'conscience' trouble. Why it was so different with Lucius Malfoy, she didn't know. But it was.

She had tried hard to forget him.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He was damned if he was staying here, trapped like this. He was LUCIUS MALFOY! There was no way that little chit was going to tie him up like this.

Moreover, he had some scores to settle with his son. His mother's bad genes had obviously dominated. He had lately coupled up with the Weasley girl! He suddenly had an image of small babies with pointed noses, grey eyes and… red hair… his grandchildren. He shuddered. He would kill Draco before it ever came to that.

He tried hard to push back all thoughts and concentrate. He had some wandless magic abilities in him. It was time that they were put to some use.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

But she hadn't been able to forget him, not completely. That was a reason why she never had blonde lovers.

Her current boyfriend, Miguel Goya, a Spanish-French was dark with black hair and hazel eyes.

She sighed and turned to face the window. She so wished that she had never met Lucius Malfoy. Even when she had made love to his son, Draco, a few months ago, in order to obtain information about 'The Book Of Seven Ages', she had just prevented herself from crying out "Lucius". Though the son was nothing when compared to his father, they looked so similar, even though Draco's hair was shorter and brighter.

She had not been very actively involved with the Order of Phoenix. More like a link between France, Spain, Germany and Italy with UK as the Death-Eaters had attacked places outside UK. But Lucius Malfoy was a name not to be avoided. She wondered if Dumbledore had noticed her distraction whenever Lucius Malfoy was mentioned. Even if he had, she didn't bother. It wasn't as if he would hold it against her. She liked Dumbledore. He always understood things. He was like a grandfather she had never had.

She was startled out of her thoughts as she heard a "Bang!" from the next room.

Grabbing her wand, she got out of the bed and went to see what the noise was.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-

He didn't have his wand, but still she was somewhat scared for she knew that Lucius was always the dark horse – even though he was now in his late forties. One could never guess what he would do next.

She opened the door with her wand.

Nothing seemed amiss. He was lying on the bed, asleep. She could just see his long blonde hair by the faint moonlight.

Nevertheless, she went inside… just to make sure that things were alright.

Just as she entered the room, the door closed after her. Startled, she looked around.

There wasn't anything or anyone there. But before she could turn back to Lucius, two strong arms gripped her tightly, and her wand fell down.

Her heart was beating violently. She was in Lucius' arms once again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-


End file.
